CARSON – On a night when dozens of jersey-wearing, flag-waving Chargers and Raiders fans turned Carson City Hall into an indoor tailgate, the Carson City Council on Tuesday night approved the Chargers’ and Raiders’ plans to build a $1.65 billion, 70,000-seat stadium next to the 405 Freeway.

That eliminated a significant obstacle for the two NFL franchises as they race to catch up with an already-approved $1.86 billion Inglewood stadium project backed by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

The council’s unanimous vote not only was a major step toward the NFL returning to the Los Angeles-Orange County market after a 20-year absence, but it also put additional pressure on already-embattled officials from San Diego and Oakland to come up with plans in the coming weeks to keep the Chargers and Raiders in their current home markets.

“There are two things we need in Southern California,” Carson Mayor Albert Robles said after the vote. “One is rain and the other is football, and today hopefully we took care of that because football is coming to Carson.”

The Chargers and Raiders – as well as the Rams – will make presentations on the progress of the Carson and Inglewood stadium projects to the NFL’s Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities on Wednesday at the league’s New York headquarters. Members of a St. Louis stadium task force appointed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will also make a presentation on plans to build a new stadium on the city’s downtown waterfront.

The Los Angeles committee is made up of six owners – New England’s Robert Kraft, Kansas City’s Clark Hunt, Pittsburgh’s Art Rooney, the New York Giants’ John Mara, Carolina’s Jerry Richardson and Houston’s Bob McNair. NFL senior vice president Eric Grubman, the league’s point man on the Los Angeles situation, and other top league officials will also attend the presentations.

One or more franchises could announce their intention to relocate to Los Angeles as early as September, according to people familiar with the three teams’ plans. Any team seeking to relocate would first have to receive the approval of three-quarters of the league’s 32 owners.

With the project approved by the city council, Carson officials will begin negotiations with the Chargers and Raiders on the control, construction and financing of the stadium and related projects. Both teams will also continue to pursue stadium options in their current markets.

“While we will continue to work with our home cities we are excited about Carson as a shared solution,” said Jeffrey Pollack, special advisor to the Chargers. “We see Carson as a real opportunity to build a state-of-the-art stadium that will thrill fans and players alike. We see Carson as an opportunity for sustainable design and structure that will set a new standard for stadiums around the world.”

A San Diego task force appointed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer is putting together a plan to build a stadium in Mission Valley, near Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers’ current home. Oakland and Alameda County have entered into an exclusive negotiating deal with New City Development, LLC, operated by San Diego real estate consultant Floyd Kephart, to build a stadium and develop 200 acres owned by the city and county in Oakland.

“There will be a path to a new stadium in San Diego and it sounds like there will be one in L.A., too,” said Tony Manolatos, a spokesman for the San Diego task force. “If so, it will be up to (Chargers owner) Mr. (Dean) Spanos to decide if he wants a new stadium in San Diego or Los Angeles.”

Tuesday night’s meeting opened with all the buzz of a showdown between the longtime NFL rivals. As city officials prepared to open the meeting, a group of Raiders and Chargers fans marched into the council chambers waving large powder blue and gold and black and silver flags and chanting “Bring them back! Bring them back!” and later alternating cheers of “L.A. Raiders! L.A. Chargers!”

Raiders Hall of Famer Michael Haynes was among the dozens of fans and labor officials endorsing the project during public comment.

“Just think it might not be too long for another local kid to play in another Super Bowl just down the street,” Haynes said.

Robles, who had limited public comment to one minute per person, allowed Haynes an additional minute, noting “so if there’s anybody out there with a Super Bowl ring they’ll get two minutes (as well).”

Later when he was asked to deliver a report on the stadium petition drive, city clerk Jim Dear said, “Mr. Mayor I have a delivery for you tonight.” Workers then wheeled into the chamber four carts carrying 41 boxes that contained more than 15,000 signatures.

Reports and analysis of the project commissioned by the city and interviews with Carson city and team officials and comments by consultants Tuesday night provide an outline of how Carson and the NFL teams see the project developing.

The stadium will hold 70,000 seats and could be expanded up to 75,000, according to city documents. The stadium plans also call for the construction of a 350-room hotel on the site and 850,000 square feet of commercial, retail and entertainment space, as well as broadcast studios and office space that could be used for the NFL Network. The facility will also have a minimum of 10,000 parking spaces.

Financing of the stadium would follow a plan similar to the one used to fund the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Cardinal Cavalry, LLC, a company set up by the Chargers, will transfer the title to the 157-acre stadium site to the Carson Reclamation Joint Powers Authority, a government agency set up in February.

“The Santa Clara model is a proven financing structure that the team and the city can use to make this project a reality,” said Christopher Higgins of Goldman Sachs, which financed Levi’s Stadium.

Development and operation of the stadium would be turned over to a stadium authority. Levi’s Stadium, which opened last summer, is operated by a stadium authority made up of Santa Clara city council members.

The NFL would provide $400 million from a special new stadium fund. The remainder of the construction costs would be borrowed by the stadium authority from Goldman Sachs.

The stadium authority would pay off the loans primarily through naming rights and selling personal seat licenses. The Raiders and Chargers, however, would guarantee the stadium loans. The Santa Clara stadium authority signed a $220 million, 20-year naming rights deal with Levi Strauss. MetLife Insurance is paying $400 million over 25 years for the naming rights to Giants’ and Jets’ New Jersey stadium. Regular ticket sales and revenue from luxury suites would be split by the Chargers and Raiders.

A financial analysis by AECOM Technical Services Inc. projects rent and taxes for the stadium with one occupant would generate $168 million over 40 years. With two occupants the city would receive $223 million over 40 years. After 30 years the city would also receive 50 percent of all non-NFL revenue from the stadium, according to David Stone of AECOM, a financial consulting firm hired by the city. Carson city attorney Sunny Soltani said rent and other financial agreements between a stadium authority and the teams will be subject to negotiations.

“We see a net positive return every year,” for the city, Stone said.

The NFL teams would also be responsible for as much as $37 million in street improvements and other stadium-related infrastructure costs over a five-year period, according the analysiscommissioned by the city council.

In addition, the teams would be required to pay $250,000 annually to fund senior citizen and youth programs in Carson, according to the analysis. The teams will also pay all of the city’s game day police costs, projected at $336,000 per game, and another $10,000 per game for fire and EMT expenses.

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